And They Will Dance
by Tadpole24
Summary: She sees the tears then, the ones he usually hides from her, and knows that today has got to be wearing on him. Wilana fic based off a Tumblr prompt.


_So to celebrate being home after two months of travelling I asked for some prompts and got this little gem which was so open and fun to work with! Thank you to __unravelingtimeandspace__ on Tumblr for keeping it short and sweet :)_

_Prompt: __So Alana and Will walk into a bar..._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Hannibal or any of its characters. But I'm more than happy sticking to fanfic in this case!_

_Come join me on Tumblr (wonder24) if you're feeling it :)_

..:::..

And They Will Dance

..:::..

Her voice is soft, "So Alana and Will walk into a bar."

He almost smiles and she feels almost relieved, "And then what?"

"They get a drink."

His eyes meet hers for the first time in the hour long visit, "I thought this was a joke to cheer me up."

"I never said it would be a joke. It's a story."

He waves a hand, "Then by all means, continue."

She swallows, finding it difficult to watch him behind the glass panels of his prison cell, but knowing that she has to do this for him, "They get a drink and then the music starts up, so they dance."

He shakes his head, "I don't dance."

Her hands itch to slap at his arm playfully, because he's being a tease and he knows it and if he were on this side of the glass she would be able to indulge in that simple touch, but it isn't meant to be, "You will."

And it's her certainty that does him in every time. That absolute confidence that he will be out of here to go to that bar and dance with her. Oh he wants it and he's happy to indulge in fantasy for some time, but he knows deep in his soul that it will never be so.

"Alana, you don't have to do this."

He breaks her heart every time he says it, "I want to. I want to be here."

His caged steps carry him to the outer extremity of his limited space and he holds a hand up to the glass. She can tell he's not reaching out to her, just looking for a place to lean, however she touches her hand against the same spot anyway, hoping to radiate some sense of hope through to him. Her watch catches her eye and she blinks back tears, they still have time…

"I don't want to hurt you anymore. You're too important." His voice is so small and broken.

She leans in further, resting her forehead next to her hand on the glass, trying to focus on the feel of the cool surface to prevent her inevitable tears from falling, "You're important to me too, you know? I don't want to miss a moment with you, so I do have to do this. If not for you, for me."

She doesn't care if it sounds selfish; he needs to understand that she's here for so many reasons.

They've had this fight before and she expects him to continue the argument, so it comes as a surprise when he sighs heavily and comes to rest his forehead by hers on their glass barrier. She sees the tears then, the ones he usually hides from her, and knows that today has got to be wearing on him.

"I'm so sorry, Will."

He shakes his head and she swears she can feel it, "No." His mouth opens and closes a few times more, but no sound comes out as he crumbles before her, his body trembling with his tears.

They have a couple more minutes before they'll come and collect him, a couple more minutes of ignorance before it settles upon them that he's being led to his death, a couple more minutes for her phone to ring and for Jack to say they've found something that can keep Will safe.

A couple more minutes.

She finally lets her tears fall.

"Hey Will," she says quietly. His eyes meet hers and she sees the despair, the pain, the pure unbridled love, "Knock knock."

And he smiles despite himself. Because he knows these could very well be his final moments with her, he knows that any second now he's going to be taken from this cell and into a dark room filled with fear. He knows that unless her phone rings, this is the end. And he damn well wants to smile in the end.

He wants to forget the months of incarceration and remember the stolen kisses, he wants to forget the cold and remember her warmth, and he wants to forget his sadness and just be happy. He wants to carry happiness with him into his next life. He wants to carry her.

So he lets his smile turn into a laugh and she laughs with him as they collapse against the glass between them. They laugh until the door clicks somewhere down the hallway and the sound of footsteps fall on their ears.

And then it becomes all too sobering.

The buzz of his cell door, the click of handcuffs, the shuffle of feet.

She watches as they move him from safety and into the unknown, her heartbeat pounding in her ears making the ringing of her cell phone almost inaudible. But she eventually manages to pull it from her pocket, answering it without letting her eyes slide from the receding back of Will, "Hello."

It's Jack's voice that greets her, Jack's sweet smooth voice. She stops listening after the first sentence.

"Will!" she calls, smiling as he turns around. His eyes meet hers and he knows before she says a thing what has happened. She can hear another set of steps coming down the hall and knows it will be someone coming to tell them what she's just heard, but she doesn't care to listen, all she can see is Will and the hope lighting up his features for the first time in months. She doesn't care if it's corny or ill-timed, she just wants him to smile with her, so she says the first thing that comes to mind, "So, Alana and Will walk into a bar."

And he does, he grins from ear to ear, something she can't say she's seen before, "And then what?"

She smiles right back at him, her feet carrying her towards his still shackled body, "They get a drink."

..:::..


End file.
